MAX VERSTAPPEN was overtaken by SEVEN cars before turn one in stunning scenes on his GT racing debut.
The four-time Formula One world champion has swapped Grand Prix for endurance racing with the F1 season in between events in Italy and Azerbaijan.
Shutterstock EditorialMax Verstappen has swapped F1 for endurance racing at the Nurburgring this weekend[/caption]
NurburgringBut Verstappen’s car was alarmingly slower than his rivals[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialBut Verstappen has the perfect excuse for this lack of pace[/caption]
Verstappen is racing around the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany for the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie seven and eight this weekend.
However, the Dutchman – racing in a Red Bull coloured Porsche Cayman GT4 #980 – was outpaced by seven cars down the start-finish straight BEFORE even reaching turn one during the race.
In the clip, Verstappen is seen getting away as part of the second group of cars in the four-hour race, but is noticeably slower than others around him as he drops down the order.
But the 27-year-old is not to blame for this, as he is racing in a “detuned” vehicle.
The reason for this is because the F1 star does not have the full licence to race around the Nurburgring – needing to still jump through a series of hoops to obtain it.
Verstappen – who set an unofficial lap record at the circuit under the alias Franz Hermann in May – only passed a test to earn a “B permit” on Friday to allow him to compete in the race this weekend.
However, without an “A permit” he must compete in an artificially powered-down car, which has left him with a car down 130 horsepower compared to rivals in the same class of car.
And that is the reason for his stunning lack of pace down the straights.
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Despite this, Verstappen qualified an impressive 15.376 seconds off the pace – good enough for sixth in his class and 27th overall.
To earn the licence, Verstappen must complete 14 incident-free laps in his GT4, with no exemptions being made despite being a four-time world champion in F1.
If all goes to plan, he will be back on 27 September with a full licence to race in a Ferrari 296 GT3 during the 57th ADAC Barbarossapreis.
Speaking about the rules over the licence, outspoken former F1 star Ralf Schumacher branded it “embarrassing” that Verstappen could not get a full licence immediately given his credentials in motorsport.
He told Motorsport-Total.com: “Of course I would have given him that immediately, or he would have been given a briefing about the Nordschleife and the specific things.
“That would have been the end of the cheese. The best driver in the world will be able to do it if the others can do it, I’m pretty sure of that.
“Instead of many people being happy that Max also brings this attention to the Nordschleife again, and for what all the drivers do there, people argue about the fact that he gets his permit before he even drives.
“That’s embarrassing.”
Verstappen spoke to SunSport about dipping his toes into other motorsports back in June, with his dream being to compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
The Nurburgring is one of the most dangerous tracks in the world of motorsport, claiming the lives of 69 drivers across different formats.
Despite updates to try and modernise the circuit to minimise the risk to drivers, 12 have still been killed since 1998.
Schumacher, who competed in F1 for ten years between 1997 and 2007, admits he would no longer “have the courage” to tackle the track – having raced there in DTM for five seasons between 2008 and 2012.
